DAY 1: Paterson 5-61 helps reduce Pakistan to 209 for nine at tea

Dane Paterson completed his second test five-wicket haul in consecutive matches and Corbin Bosch claimed four on debut as Pakistan limped to tea on 209 for nine after being asked to bat first on the opening morning of the first test against South Africa at Supersport Park in Centurion on Thursday.

Paterson finished the session with figures of 16-4-61-5 while Bosch, who bowled an extended spell in search of a fifth, had 4-63 from 15 overs but the last wicket pair survived an extra half hour to extend the innings into the third session.

The tourists slipped from 88 for four at lunch to 209 for nine without the excellent Kagiso Rabada (14-2-35-0) claiming a single wicket at a venue on which he averages seven wickets per test in eight matches.

Kamran Ghulam’s entertaining counter-attack came to an end when a premeditated, running swipe against Paterson was caught by Rabada at long leg to end his innings on 54 from 71 balls before Mohammad Rizwan (27) edged the same bowler to Aiden Markram at second slip. Their fifth-wicket partnership realised 81 potentially vital runs.

Amir Jamal (28) and Salman Agha (18) added 47 for the seventh wicket to take the total from 142 for seven to 189 for seven before three wickets fell without the addition of a run.

Jamal dragged an expansive cover drive against Bosch onto his stumps, Agha toe-ended a pull against Paterson to Ryan Rickelton at cover and an uncomfortable Naseem Shah (0) popped a simple catch to Rabada at mid on against Bosch.

Earlier, the tourists limped to a cautious 36 without loss in the first hour with openers Shan Masood and Saim Ayub playing and missing on at least a dozen occasions against seamers Rabada, Marco Jansen and Paterson while another four or five edges fell short of the slip cordon.

But everything changed in dramatic fashion with the first ball after the drinks break when fast bowler Bosch became the 25th bowler in test history to claim a wicket with his first ball when captain Masood (17) edged a half-hearted drive to Jansen in the gully.

Fellow opener Saim Ayub (14) edged a defensive push against Paterson to keeper Kyle Verreynne nine balls later and when Babar Azam (4) was caught by Markram at second slip in Paterson’s fourth over, Pakistan had lost 3-5 in 19 balls.

Worse was to come when Saud Shakeel, having lashed 14 from just five balls, gloved his sixth down the leg side to Verreynne, undone by the extra pace and bounce generated by impressive debutant Bosch.

Numbers 10 and 11, Khurram Shahzad (9) and Mohammad Abbas (10) will resume after the tea break with every extra run potentially important on a pitch providing generous bounce and movement for the seam bowlers.

SOUTH AFRICA: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson.

PAKISTAN: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Amir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.